Random Darkest Secrets Behind Famous Bodies Of Water Around World (12 items)

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  (#5) Lake Victoria

  • Lake

  With around 5,000 people drowning in its waters each year, the high number of casualties puts Lake Victoria at the top of the most dangerous list. Located in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, it's the second largest body of fresh water in the world and provides water to the Nile River, as well as business for local fishermen. However, those fishermen, and whoever else ventures into Lake Victoria by boat, could be in danger. Weather changes frequently on the lake and unexpected rough water with high waves can destroy small boats, capsize ships, and claim the lives of those who fall in. When ferry boats crossing the lake overturn, hundreds of people can perish.

  Boaters can't tell the depth of the lake at any given location and rocks lie just below the surface in many areas. Dangerous weather can also make communication with people on land difficult, meaning those who find themselves in trouble on the water may not receive help in time. For those who fall in but manage to survive, the vastness of Lake Victoria can confuse swimmers who may not know the direction to shore or exactly how far they must swim.
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  (#3) Dead Sea

  • Lake

  Nestled between Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank, the Dead Sea is popular with tourists due to the lack of sharks and the high concentration of salt in its water, which allows swimmers to easily float. This unique feature has also led to stories that it's impossible to drown in its waters, but this is unfortunately not true. While swimmers floating on their backs may enjoy the buoyancy, if someone decides to swim facedown or trips and lands in the water face first, it could be dangerous.

  Containing 10 times more salt than the ocean, the water of the Dead Sea is extremely dense. This is what allows people and objects to float, but it also hinders them from being able to maneuver in the water. People who wind up facedown will struggle to right themselves as the dense water won't allow them to move their lower body downward. It's also possible for swimmers to accidentally swallow some of the highly salty water, which could disrupt their balance of electrolytes, hurt their organs, and essentially poison them. Needing rescue from the Dead Sea is unfortunately relatively common, and lifeguards rescued 21 people from drowning in 2010 alone.
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  (#12) Long Beach

  • Place

  California's Los Angeles County has plenty of options for beach-goers, but depending on the weather and time of year, they may want to rethink their visit. Many beaches harbor poor water quality, but in 2019, Heal the Bay discovered that Long Beach was the worst offender. Tests revealed dangerous bacteria and E. coli in the water, which could potentially cause diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach cramps in swimmers. For those with unhealthy immune systems, the elderly, or small children, E. coli can be dangerous enough to end lives.

  The time of year affects whether or not swimmers can safely enter the water, however, and the winter months tend to be worse. More rain means there's more runoff from urban areas and storm drains that flow into the ocean, and the fecal matter and other nasty materials from this runoff may contain dangerous bacteria. In the case of Long Beach, runoff enters the Los Angeles River, which carries the potentially dangerous contamination into the ocean as it empties. Beach lovers can rejoice, however, that when the weather is drier in summer, the danger is much less severe.
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  (#2) Black Sea

  • Sea

  As a major tourist destination between Asia and Eastern Europe, millions of people visit the beaches, resorts, and islands of the Black Sea each year. The sea's surface may inspire many an Instagram photo, but beneath the surface water lies an area much creepier. The Black Sea is a meromictic body of water, which means it features separate layers of water that do not mix together.

  While the water on the surface is friendly to visitors, the layer of water below it is completely devoid of oxygen. Nothing can survive in this zone, and creatures or ships that fall into the area take a long time to decompose. Shipwrecks and the remains of those who have drowned may still be seen hundreds of years after sinking. This gave rise to rumors and stories that the Black Sea is home to the deceased who lurk in its deep waters. When you really think about it, who wants to swim in that?
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  (#11) Lake Pontchartrain

  • Body Of Water

  Bull sharks tend to hang out along coastlines also popular with swimmers, and they are considered the world's most dangerous sharks, as well as one of the most likely to attack humans. They are usually more curious than hungry, however, but they have attacked people at least 69 times throughout history. Because they can thrive out of salt water, their numbers aren't limited to the ocean, and bull sharks have been found swimming in the Amazon River, the Mississippi River, and even Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain.

  Authorities counted at least 25 sharks in the lake as of 2016 and assumed they hang out in the lake during summer months to avoid predators. They claim that the hottest gathering spots for the sharks are around popular beaches near Goose Point and Seabrook, and since they hang around during the warm months when people are most likely to swim or engage in water activities, that makes encounters between shark and man more likely. Luckily, bull shark attacks in Lake Pontchartrain are still extremely rare.
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  (#9) Lake Michigan

  • Lake

  Although Lake Michigan isn't the largest of the Great Lakes, it is the most dangerous. In addition to water temperatures that could cause hypothermia and strong winds that create dangerously powerful waves, the lake's structure causes a problem that's even more dangerous: rip and longshore currents. Because Lake Michigan is longer than it is wide and runs north to south without any major obstacles along its shores, winds blowing perpendicular to the shore create rip currents, while those blowing parallel can form longshore currents.

  These currents aren't always noticeable to swimmers but can carry them far from where they intended to be. As rip currents bounce off the shore and transport water back into the lake, they can carry swimmers with them and can be so powerful that swimmers may find it very difficult to escape. Lake Michigan is so notorious for these dangerous currents that swimmer fatalities and rescues from its waters generally account for about half of all such instances on all the Great Lakes combined. From 2002 to 2015, 243 swimmers were rescued and 82 people drowned, and these numbers unfortunately continue to grow. From January to August of 2019, drownings in Lake Michigan saw an 80% increase from the previous year.

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